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CANTON, Ohio (AP) -- Dennis Miller was there, Steve Young was
not. Welcome to a new season of "Monday Night Football."
Kevin Faulk set up a field goal with a punt return, then turned
a short pass into a 25-yard touchdown as the New England Patriots
beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-0 Monday night in the Pro Football
Hall of Fame exhibition game.
|  | | This 22-yard touchdown run was part of a big night for New England quarterback Michael Bishop. |
"The thing that I was most happy with is that we played hard
and I've tried to emphasize that from Day One," said Bill
Belichick, making his debut as the head coach of the Patriots.
"Coming to the Hall of Fame -- the legend we've been around here -- is really good for everybody on our team."
Miller made his debut in the ABC booth, joining Dan Fouts and Al
Michaels to add spice -- to say the least -- to an otherwise bland
game. Before the second quarter started, the
comic-turned-commentator had already made references to the
Vatican, male genitalia and the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
The preseason opener for both teams wasn't nearly as colorful as
Miller's commentary. The crowd of 22,840 thinned out as the second
half progressed. The loudest cheers of the fourth quarter came when
the fans began chanting, "Den-nis! Den-nis! Den-nis!" and tried
to get Miller to pop his head out of the press box.
New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe only played the first
series. He was 2-for-3 for 20 yards before giving way to Michael
Bishop.
In addition to throwing the touchdown pass to Faulk, Bishop also scored
on a 22-yard run.
"It was nice to take a few snaps and get an opportunity out
there," Bishop said. "I got to learn from my mistakes."
Belichick stuck to basics. Raymont Harris, a former Ohio State
tailback, carried seven times for 42 yards on New England's second
possession which ended on Adam Vinatieri's 21-yard field goal.
"That was a heck of a performance by Raymont on that drive,"
Bledsoe said. "I'm really, really excited to see that and can't
wait to work with him for the whole season."
Midway through the second quarter, Faulk returned a punt 22
yards to the San Francisco 22. Four plays later, Vinatieri made it
6-0 with a 39-yard kick.
Faulk, a second-year back out of Louisiana State, grabbed a short slant pass
from Bishop and avoided three tackles, cutting back to the middle
for a 25-yard touchdown just before the half ended.
On Saturday, three players who spent all or most of their
careers with the 49ers were inducted into the Hall of Fame:
quarterback Joe Montana, defensive back Ronnie Lott and linebacker
Dave Wilcox. Joining them in the class of 2000 were former Raiders
lineman Howie Long and Pittsburgh owner Dan Rooney.
That was about it for the San Francisco highlights. There
weren't many during the game itself.
Even with Montana back on the sidelines again the 49ers still
floundered.
They managed just four first downs in the opening half -- matching the number of times their quarterbacks were sacked.
"Obviously we've sure got some work to do," San Francisco
coach Steve Mariucci said. "The thing you've got to remember is
that to every season there is a start, a journey and a finish.
We've got a long way to go in every area. But this is where we
start."
Garcia was 6-for-7 for 50 yards, while rookies Giovanni Carmazzi
and Tim Rattay, the 49ers' third- and seventh-round draft choices,
both suffered through off nights. Carmazzi was 3-for-7 for 19 yards
passing and Rattay was 10-for-21 for 105 yards.
The 49ers' Jerry Rice, the NFL's leading career receiver
beginning his 16th season, had one catch for a 4-yard gain, adding
to his glittering stats on "Monday Night Football." He has 205
catches for 3,290 yards in 39 appearances on MNF.
Both teams are hoping a new season will erase the memory of
dismal finishes a year ago. The Patriots lost six of their last
eight games to fade to 8-8 and miss the playoffs. With Young
missing all but the first three games, the 49ers lost 11 of their
last 12 to finish 4-12. It was the franchise's worst record since a
2-14 mark in Bill Walsh's first year as head coach in 1979. Two
years later, the 49ers won the first of their five Super Bowls.
Belichick was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns for five
seasons, including in 1995 when Art Modell moved the franchise to
Baltimore. Partisan Browns fans were expected to boo Belichick
during pregame introductions, but Belichick's name was not
announced.
"This is a great football area. The tradition just oozes out,"
Belichick said. "And it's a thrill to be back. I'm sure there were
mixed opinions of me, but that's their opinions and I can't worry
about it."
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
New England Clubhouse
San Francisco Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Raymont Harris is happy to have a chance with the Patriots.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Dennis Miller recognizes the tradition of pro football.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Dennis Miller has analysis on the decline of the 49ers during Monday's Hall of Fame game.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Dan Fouts likes Bill Belichick's style of coaching.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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